The Miss USA pageant can't escape controversy. Here's a timeline of all the drama.

Gabriel — a fashion designer from Houston — made history as the first Filipino American to take home the crown.

She was also the first Miss Texas to win the competition since Crystle Stewart, who won Miss USA in 1998 and became president of the organization in 2020. 

Contestants from the 2022 class began posting various Instagram stories or TikToks saying they had "never stood a chance," were "heartbroken" about their experience, and felt like they'd been used "as puppets and props." 

"A lot of the girls felt like it was the organization's plan from the beginning for R'Bonney to win, no matter who else was competing," Miss Missouri Mikala McGhee told Business Insider at the time.

Business Insider spoke to many of the 2022 contestants, who pointed to what they said were multiple conflicts of interest between Gabriel and Miss USA's national sponsors — including Miss Academy, the pageant school owned by Stewart, as well as the med spa Mia Beauté and the Nizuc Resort in Cancún. 

The day after Gabriel won Miss USA, a promotional video of her receiving treatments at Mia Beauté's spa at Nizuc was posted on the resort's Instagram page.

The 2022 contestants were confused because Miss USA had held a weeklong retreat for their class at the resort in the last week of June 2022, but Gabriel and Miss Colorado Alexis Glover weren't in attendance because they hadn't won their respective state pageants yet. 

While the video showed Gabriel on a solo trip to the Mexican resort, sources told BI that Glover was never offered the same opportunity, raising questions about Gabriel having an unfair advantage with the two sponsors.

Miss USA contestants told BI they believed the video was proof that Gabriel was receiving favorable treatment from sponsors and had possibly already been "chosen" to win the Miss USA pageant. It also had contestants questioning why the Miss USA organization allowed Gabriel to work so closely with a major sponsor just weeks before the competition.

"After that video was released, it was very evident that something was not right," McGhee said. "That was the first moment I really thought, 'Wow, we just got played. Big time.'"

"I would never enter any pageant or any competition that I know I would win, I have a lot of integrity," she said during an appearance on "The Rundown."

"I want to be transparent," she added. "And I want everybody to know that there was no unfair advantage and nothing was rigged." 

Gabriel also noted during the interview that she had paid for her own flight to the Nizuc resort and shot the video while she was Miss Texas. 

After the Miss Universe Organization held a town hall with the 2022 contestants, then-CEO Amy Emmerich and then-president Paula Shugart informed the women that Stewart had been suspended indefinitely. 

A day before her suspension, Stewart told BI in a statement that the "fairness of the pageant and the well-being of each and every contestant" was a top priority. 

"The allegations against the Miss USA Organization are misleading and against everything I stand for personally and professionally," she said. "As a former titleholder, I learned firsthand the importance of a fair and unbiased pageant competition and I respect the voices of the Class of 2022 and every woman's right to have their voice heard."

As Miss USA became headline news, it was revealed that Max Sebrechts had stepped down as vice president of Miss USA after multiple contestants from the 2021 pageant said he sexually harassed them during the competition. One of those contestants was Miss Michigan 2021 Taylor Hale, who went on to win "Big Brother." 

In a statement sent to BI in October 2022, a spokesperson for Miss Universe said the organization was made aware of the allegations against Sebrechts in late December 2021 and "immediately requested a review." 

"The Miss USA franchisee, Miss Brand, removed the employee from its organization in January 2022 and new protocols and processes were established and put in place," they added. 

BI obtained a letter sent to the 2021 contestants informing them that Sebrechts was stepping down as vice president in January 2022. The letter said Sebrechts was "focusing his efforts on other business ventures" and did not mention the allegations. 

Sebrechts denied the allegations to BI. A source close to Stewart confirmed to BI that she and Sebrechts have since separated. 

Jakrajutatip announced that her Thailand-based company, JKN Global Group, purchased the Miss Universe Organization from IMG for $20 million.

She became the first woman to own Miss Universe, the organization confirmed to BI. 

Gabriel told BI during an interview in January 2023 that the rigging allegations were a "huge distraction."  

"The hardest part was I felt like I didn't have a voice at times as Miss USA," she said. "I wanted to stand up for myself and say, 'Hey, this is false. This is very frustrating.' But I wanted to compose myself and carry this with grace because I was in the public eye. I wanted to show people how you can push back from adversity and be resilient." 

While her Miss USA reign was full of difficult moments, Gabriel said she believes it made her "become even stronger."

"I was definitely not expecting it, and there were days I felt low," she said. "I felt very delayed in my process a lot of the time, but I had Miss Universe always on my mind."

Gabriel was named the winner during the 71st Miss Universe pageant in New Orleans. She was the first American to win the crown in a decade. 

The pageant queen told BI that her Miss Universe win was the "sweetest victory," and she hoped it proved that she deserved to win Miss USA as well. 

"This is a strong message that I want to share with the world," Gabriel said. "No matter if people try to knock you down or there are misconceptions about you, you can't let that get to you, just keep going and you'll get what you deserve."

Romano, a chemical engineer who represented North Carolina, had placed first runner-up at Miss USA 2022. After Gabriel was named Miss Universe, Romano took over the title. 

Gabriel crowned Romano at a ceremony during the preliminary competition of Miss Alabama USA 2023. 

The Miss Universe Organization thanked Stewart and her company, Miss Brand, for "their unwavering cooperation and transparency" throughout the investigation. 

But, the statement continued, the Miss Universe Organization and Stewart "were unable to reach an agreement as to Crystle and Miss Brand's continuing involvement with Miss USA and the Miss Universe Organization." 

"Crystle has decided to leverage the success she has had with the Miss USA Organization to pursue other entrepreneurial passions," the statement read. "We wish Crystle, and her team at Miss Brand, all the best and have no doubt that she will excel in this next chapter." 

Ahead of the 2023 pageant, BI sat down with Rose, a fashion designer and CEO of the VIP Pageantry television network, to talk about her new role. She revealed three big changes that would be coming to Miss USA, including a new scoring system. Rose revealed that the interview would make up 50% of the contestants' total score, while the swimsuit and evening-gown rounds would be 25%.

Rose said the final question would also no longer involve politics. 

"The final question is going to be really catered to them as an individual. It won't be a political question," Rose said. "I want to highlight them as individuals, and I really want them to shine within themselves and who they are." 

Voigt became the first Venezuelan American to win Miss USA after she was crowned at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. She was also the first Miss Utah to win the title since 1960.

A seasoned pageant queen who began competing at 16, Voigt told BI at the time that she had placed first runner-up three times before making it to the national Miss USA stage. 

"It could have been very easy for me, all those times getting first runner-up, to just say, 'I can't do this anymore, I'm so frustrated,'" she said. "But instead, every time I got first runner-up, it was more fuel to the fire for me to keep on going."

The day before Voigt was crowned, UmaSofia Srivastava was crowned Miss Teen USA 2023. 

On November 9, 2033, the Thai bankruptcy court accepted a petition for "business rehabilitation" from JKN Global Group. 

JKN had missed a payment on a multimillion-dollar loan in September, revealing in a letter to the stock-exchange president that "the financial liquidity management of the company is not in line with the expected forecast." 

Shugart said her decision had been "months in the making" and was not due to the recent news about JKN Global. 

But she hinted that there had been trouble at the company with her speech as she told the audience: "I have always passionately believed Miss Universe is not about any one woman." 

"If I can leave you with anything, what I have learned as president is there is a critical difference between declaring the words 'transformational leadership' and being a real transformational leader," Shugart continued.

"Transformational leadership is not about one person," she said. "It can and it must be empathetic, beyond self-interest. It can and it must be committed to building confidence through inspiration and teamwork, not insecurity and chaos. It can and it must be about motivation, not denigration."

Shugart concluded by saying leadership must be about "honesty, respect, integrity, and living by your word." 

"One cannot just talk the talk, one must walk the walk," she said. "And that is my message today." 

Voigt said she was relinquishing the Miss USA crown to focus on her mental health. 

"I realize this may come as a large shock to many," she wrote in an Instagram statement. "Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth. A million thank you's to all of you for your constant and unwavering support. Time to write the next chapter. I hope you'll stick around to see what's next."

In a statement sent to BI, a spokesperson for the Miss USA organization said it supported Voigt's decision to step down.

"The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time," the statement read. "The organization is currently reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor and an announcement regarding the crowning of the new Miss USA will be coming soon."

In a statement shared on Instagram, Srivastava said she had been "grappling with this decision for months" and was resigning "as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization." 

"I look forward to the rest of the year as I finish 11th grade as part of the National Honor Society and start the college application process," she added. "Thank you to those who support me for who I am and have always been, not for who I've momentarily become."

Both Srivastava and Voigt resigned just days after Claudia Michelle quit as the social-media director for the Miss USA organization. She cited the organization's treatment of both titleholders as one of the reasons she decided to resign.

"I don't believe in taking sides. I believe in telling the truth," Michelle wrote on Instagram. "I believe Noelia and Uma's mental health and happiness has taken a toll and I cannot remain silent about that."

Miss USA CEO and president Laylah Rose told BI in a statement on Wednesday that "our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women."

"All along, my personal goal as the head of this organization has been to inspire women to always create new dreams, have the courage to explore it all, and continue to preserve integrity along the way," Rose said. "I hold myself to these same high standards and I take these allegations seriously. Please be assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority."